Do you dream of the day that a national talk show wants you as a guest? Maybe it is that moment that Oprah chooses your book for her book club. How do those moments happen for a small business owner? It is usually the result of a lot of Public Relations. Public relations is simply the strategy you put in place to spread information about you and your company out to the world.
But what if you aren’t ready? What if the call comes, your book is mentioned on a national show, thousands of people go to your website; you don’t have a clue who they are and there is no a game plan in place.
I had a client years ago who had her book mentioned on a national show and she had thousands of people immediately go to her website but because she wasn’t prepared she lost the opportunity to capture any information about these hot prospects.
Consider hiring a public relations expert to help you spread the word about your business. My PR specialist creates several press releases each month, helps me to attain speaking engagements as well as guest writing opportunities. The reason it works is because at Decisive Minds we spent the years building our foundation and preparing our business for the press that we desired.
There are 3 areas that your business should focus on prior to going deep into a public relations campaign.
Pre Public Relations Strategy 1: Solid, Consistent Branding
This goes a lot deeper than just your logo, colors, and fonts. This is your message, your ideal client, your unique area of expertise, and even how you speak about it. It’s everything that makes you instantly recognizable to your fans, and it’s what helps media outlets know you’re exactly the person they need, right when they need you.
While you’re updating your branding, be sure to include your:
- Website & blog
- Facebook profile, business page, and groups
- Training & coaching programs and websites
- LinkedIn profile
- Pinterest boards
- YouTube channel
- Podcast artwork and message
Pre Public Relations Strategy 2: Media-Ready Swipe Files and Photos
Imagine that moment that CNN calls you to ask your opinion about an important news happening. How quickly could you respond with a bio and headshot? If it would take you more than 5 minutes, you’re not ready.
A key component of every PR campaign is having an accessible, easy-to-find media page from which you can instantly pull the information any journalist or producer needs. Unless you have this page in place, you’re not yet ready to hire a PR specialist. Click here to for an example of a media page that works (ours). And remember that your media page doesn’t have to be as robust as ours. You start with your bio, headshots, and links to any speaking engagements you have done. Even images of you working with clients are acceptable.
Pre Public Relations Strategy 3: A Crystal-Clear Message & Ideal Client
While it might seem more marketable to have a wide area of expertise and varied clientele, the opposite is actually true. Experts are tightly focused. As one content marketing strategist puts it, they delve “an inch wide and a mile deep.” By focusing your efforts, you are able to dig deeper than simple surface issues, and serve your clients better.
The same is true of your ideal client. When you try to help working moms, new dads, college students and empty nesters, you wind up serving none of them very well. Instead, you should have a very specific client you strive to attract, and venture outside of that mold only rarely.
Once you have these 3 pieces in place, you’ll have a solid foundation that will support you in your media outreach efforts. More importantly, you’ll be able to make the most of every opportunity a PR professional can bring your way.
If you are struggling to get clear on your ideal client and message then you should get a copy of our Decisive Business Planner. It will walk you through the exact questions to help you decide this once and for all. It will be the best $17 you have ever spent. http://DecisiveBusinessPlanner.com
